Large miniature theme park with 100-plus models.

This half-forgotten fortress was constructed by the Ottoman conqueror of Constantinople.

Have tea in a cemetery with a dazzling view of Istanbul.

This former Imperial summer home was the venue for a royal slap that once echoed 'round the world.

Housed in an old British jail, this spot serves up Georgian, Russian, and Ukrainian specialities with a side of Turkish history.

One of the newest mosques in a city filled with thousands.

Taking the subway here means doing so over a bridge located in the middle of an estuary.

A gorgeous, Gaudí-esque stairway constructed in the city of Istanbul by a prominent Jewish family.

A surprising and unconventional mosque hidden in the subsoil of Istanbul.

This historic hotel preserves many treasures from its heyday hosting passengers on the Orient Express.

Climb a steep hill in 90 seconds on the second-oldest urban subway in the world.

Turkish adventurer antiques in the heart of the Grand Bazaar.

Five sultans and their families rest in eternal splendor, teeming with overlooked beauty and drama.

A small etching on the white marble parapet was written in runic script by a Viking mercenary.

Legend says if you stick your thumb in the hole and it gets wet your wish will be granted.

An Art Nouveau gem hides beneath the layers of city grime obscuring this once-magnificent building.

Quite possibly the oldest love poem known to humankind.

A section of the long chain that blocked enemy ships from entering Constantinople.

Homesick Syrian refugees head to this restaurant for a taste of Damascus.

Climb a set of vertiginous stone steps to the top of this impressive ancient edifice.

Come for the whole sides of slow-roasted lamb, stay for the regional Kurdish specialties.

It's believed that this small church was connected to the Hagia Sophia via a secret tunnel.

The most metal church of all time was built in record time because of an international, pious pissing contest.

Byzantine emperors ruled, lived, and died in this 13th-century palace-turned-museum.